Alfajores

A delicious South American sandwich biscuit. Fill with ready-made dulce de leche or make your own.

Ingredients

175g unsalted butter, softened

190g caster sugar

1 Ella Valentine Baking egg

2 Ella Valentine Baking egg yolks

2 tsp brandy

300g cornflour

150g plain flour

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

Zest of ½ lemon

200g dulce de leche, for filling

100 g desiccated coconut, for garnish

Equipment

2 inch round pastry cutter

Baking sheet

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C (350F), Gas Mark 4.

1. Cream the butter and sugar together. Then mix in remaining ingredients until well combined.

2. Knead on a floured surface until the dough is smooth and chill for 15 minutes.

3. Roll out the dough to ¼ inch and cut into 2” inch rounds with a pastry cutter.

4. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet and chill for 5 minutes.

5. Bake on 150 degrees for 20 minutes or until the edges have browned slightly. Remove from the oven and transfer to an elevated wire rack to cool completely.

6. Once cooled use a palette knife to spread dulce de leche onto the flat side of half the cookies, using the flat side of the other half of the cookies to sandwich them together. Roll the sides of each cookie in a plate of desiccated coconut.